Electric meter.



No. 70l,280;. Patented June 3, I902.

H. ARON.

ELECTRIC METER.

(Application filed Feb. 20, 1902.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet L JEZWTl/iP/f:

THE mums PETERS co. wuoraumovv \VASWNGYON. n. c.

No. 70l,280. Patented June 3, I902.

H. ARON.

ELECTRIC METER.

(Application filed leb. 20, 1902.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.) I

wfiwsses THE NORRIS PETERS do. mow umcv WASHINGTON. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMANN ARON, OF OHARLOTTENBURG, GERMANY.

ELECTRIC METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 701,280, dated June 3, 1902.

Application filed February 20,1902. Serial No. 94,898. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERMANN ARON, a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, residing at No. 39 Wilmersdorferstrasse, Gharlottenburg, in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Electric Meters, (for which I have made application for Letters Patent in Germany, dated January 14, 1901, Serial No. A. 7,684,) of which the following is a specification.

The meter to which my invention relates is of that type in which the current is delivered by the meter for a predetermined period of time, the period of delivery being determined by a clockwork mechanism which is set to run fora certain period of time, during which the current will be delivered through the meter, and at the end of which period the said clockwork mechanism will automatically operate a cut-out device which will prevent further delivery of the current until the mechanism has been again set for delivery of current during another period of time. Apparatus of this kind, generally speaking, is not new and has been heretofore employed.

The main features of {myinvention consist in employing a planet-wheel gearing which determines the length of time of delivery of the current and a second planet-wheel gearing, which drives the clock mechanism and also operates the cut-out device to interrupt the circuit when the period of time for which the first-named planet-Wheel gearing mechanism was set during which current will be delivered has elasped. Planet-wheel gearing has been employed before for determiningthe period of delivery of an electric current and also for operating the cut-out device in meters; but the present mechanism has the advantage over those heretofore known to me in that a single driving mechanism controls the whole work of operating the metering devices and the cut-out mechanism, WhllO a further advantage of the present construction is that the mechanism which determines the period of delivery is returned to its original position after having been set by a uniform continuous motion and does not return to its normal position by sudden steps or intervals, as in certain mechanisms now in use, which method of operation frequently causes undue deviations in the operation of the meter.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown so much of the meter as relates to my improvements, indicating in dotted lines the parts of the clock mechanism which do not relate to the particular means herein set up and claimed as of my invention, and in said drawings- Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of the planet-wheel mechanism and its connected parts which control or determine'the period of delivery of the current and also release the cut-out device. Fig. 2 is a front elevation looking from the left in Fig. 1, the side plate of the frame being removed and the clockwork mechanism being illustrated in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2, showing the cut-out-controlling device in reverse position from that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4c is a view in side elevation of the planetwheel gearing which controls and drives the clockwork mechanism and the cut-out device and the electrical driving mechanism which imparts motion to the said planet-wheel gearing. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the mechanism for braking the clockwork.

Referring to the drawings by letters, the same letters indicating like parts in the several views, 7t denotes what may be termed the setting-wheel of the meter, for the reason that the rotation of this wheel, which is offected manually and preferably through the intervention of any suitable coin=operated or coin-released mechanism, imparts to the planet-wheel gearing which controls and determines the period of time during which the current will be delivered a determinate movement. The said wheel 7t effects this movement of the planet-Wheel gearing through a gear-wheel 7:3, which gears with a crown-wheel g, mounted on a suitable shaft, said crownwheel imparting motion to a second crownwheel h through the planet-wheel i, as shown in Fig. 1. Each revolution of the wheel is will through the gearing just described rotate said crown-wheel it through a certain portion of its circumferance, and the movements of the said crown-wheel will in turn be imparted to the train of gearing (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2) in order to set the said train of gearing, the clock mechanism, and the registerin g devices in properposition for controlling and metering the flow of current. The said crown-wheel h is provided with a disk, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, said disk having thereon a projection m. Said projection on normally engages a pin a on a cut-out-controlling lever 0 and holds it in the position shown in Fig. 2, with the hooks of one of the divergent arms of said lever o engaging the pin 4 on a disk carried by the cut-out shaft 19. In this position the cut-out device, which consists of a copper cylinder q, having its end cut away, as shown in Figs. 4- and 5, will be held in position to interrupt the circuit, one of the brushes g which controls the circuit lying within the cut-away portion of the cylinder q and out of contact therewith, so as to break the circuit, and at the same time a pin 4; on a gear-Wheel it, carried by the cutout shaft 19, will bear against a spring a: and hold a brake w pressed against the balancewheel 3 of the clock mechanism, thus preventing operation of the clock mechanism when the parts are in this position. Upon rotation of the wheel in the manner heretofore described the crown-wheel 71, will be advanced a portion of its circumference in the direction of the arrow, Figs. 2 and 3, to a position such, for example, as is shown in Fig. 3, the pin a on the lever 0 being released from the projection on and being immediately thrown to the position shown in Fig. 3 by means of a torsional spring Z, mounted on the supporting-shaft of said lever and shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Said movement of the lever 0 will disengage the hook s from the pin 0 on the cut-out shaft 1) and leave the wheel a on shaft 19 free to turn under the influence of the second planet-wheel gearing, which constitutes the driving mechanism for the clockwork and which will now be described, this release of the said cut-out shaft 19 permitting it to rotate to the position shown in Fig. 8, with the pin 1' resting against the hook t of the other divergent arm of the lever o. In this position the out-out cylinder (1 will contact with both brushes q q and close the circuit, while the pin 2) being removed from contact with the spring-arm a; the balance-wheel y will be relieved of the pressure of brake w. The said clockworkdriving planet wheel gearing comprises the crown-wheel e, loosely mounted on a shaft d, a planet-wheelj, fixed to the shaft d, and a second crown-wheel loosely mounted on the said shaft d. The said shaft d is connected in any suitable manner to the driving shaft 0 of the electricaldriving device, which may be of any known kind and is conventionally shown in the present case, a indi eating one of the magnet-poles, while Z) indicates an energized coil. (See Fig. 4.) Motion imparted to the shaft 0 by the said electrical driving mechanism will be transmitted to the shaft (Z and through the planet-wheel j imparted to the two crown-wheels e and f.

The crown-wheel 6 gears with the wheel to on the cut-out shaft 1), and when said cut-out shaft has been released through the action of the levero, just described, the said crownwheel a will rotate said shaft slowly, while the crown-wheel j, which, as shown in Fig. 2, engages the escapement mechanism of the clockwork, will impart motion to the clocktrain. WVhen the parts have been brought to the position shown in Fig. 3,the cut-out device q, as has been explained, is in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 5, with the brushes (1 contacting therewith, and the circuit being closed the electrical driving mechanism will be operated by the current to drive the clockwork. The clockwork will then begin to return the setting mechanism, comprising the crown-wheel 7L, the planet-wheel t', and the crown-wheel g, to its original position, as shown in Fig. 2, from which it was moved by the rotation of the setting-wheel 7.; to the position shown in Fig. 3, and during this period of return movement of the setting mech anism the circuit will be closed, the current will flow through the meter, and the meter ing and registering devices will be active. This condition will continue until the crownwheel It has been brought to its original po sition, and the projection m on the crownwheel disk bearing against the pin it forces the lever 0 into its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1. This movement of the lever 0 will disengage the hook if on the other diver- Ioo gent arm of said lever o from the pin 7', and the cut-out shaft 13 will under the action of the crown-wheel c on the driving-shaft (Z be immediately thrown to the position shown in Fig. 1 with the pin '1' engaging the hook s :05 and the cut-out device q in open-circuit position, thus cutting off the current, applying the brake w to the clock mechanism, and arresting the operation of the meter and the delivery of current by it, which condition no will exist until the setting-wheel It has been again rotated to bring the parts to active position.

I claim- 1. In an electric meter, the combination with a driving-shaft; of a planet-wheel gearing connected with said driving-shaft; a clock-train to actuate the registering devices driven by one of the crown-wheels of said planet-wheel gearing; and a cut-out shaft to open and close the circuit driven by the other crown-wheel of said planet-wheel gearing.

2. In an electric meter, the combination with a driving-shaft; of a planet-wheel gearing connected with said driving-shaft; a clock-train to actuate the registering devices driven by one of the crown-wheels of said planet-wheel gearing; a cut-out shaft to open and close the circuit driven by the other crownwheel of said planet-wheel gearing; a

second planetwheel gearing having one crown-wheel driven by said clock-train; and connections between the other crown-wheel of said last-named planet-wheel gearing and the said cut-out shaft, whereby the movements of said shaft are controlled by said crown-wheel.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

HERMANN ARON.

Witnesses:

WOLDEMAR HAUPT, HENRY HASPER. 

